Fitness!

[Imperini]

Oh hey look, here it is, thanks Chancellor!

So, outside riding what does everyone do to stay in shape? My shape is round so mostly I lift food into my mouth Need to find something somewhat enjoyable, that doesn't take a huge amount of time (ridiculous work commute), and can be made into a habit. No luck so far, maybe one of these days.

[lorilu]

Yoga three nights a week. A royal yoga practice, I usually sweat, have seen major changes in my core strength over the last few years. I have been going for about four years now.
Pilates mat class one morning a week. Deep core strength.

If you can only do one thing, and can afford it, I would recommend a real equipment pilates class. Def. worth it.

Oh, and I eliminated most carbs from my diet two years ago, lost almost 20 lbs.

[Flight]

It's like anything, you have to be committed to it.
I HATE exercise, but I have to do it for work.

I run, (well shuffle) because it's cheap, do it anywhere, quick way of getting fit.
My sister left her treadmill here, so at the moment I use it. Plonk netflix/horse training vids in front of me and just get it done, the tready is good because I can get on it anytime and it's not weather dependent (therefore no excuses!) I'm not too crazy though, if I feel sore or tired, I will walk etc. But I make myself do it 4 times a week.

[Avola]

Does cleaning stalls count?

[Niki]

I used to do a lot of pilates and recently scored a reformer at a great price - just have to wait to move house (next month) before i can finally have room to set it up.

i try and walk/jog daily and hit 10K steps too. Oh and i love this 15min routine by Foundation training - though i'm lucky if i do it weekly at the moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BOTvaR ... ture=share

My problem is food - i like it way too much and since finally turning into a vegetarian a few months ago my weight has really tried to increase as i have started eating a few more carbs again (used to rarely eat them). I'm hoping again when we move that life will settle better and my diet should improve again.

The added bonus when we move is we move to 13 acres so lots of outside chores again (eg i spent all weekend fencing and chainsawing - i'm stuffed and have discovered muscles i didn't know i had again). The plan is also to commute to work via train. Both of us then either have walk/cycle or bus and walk to out respective works. In my case its 4kms and i plan to cycle it. As i get fitter and if i can make it work with my work schedule i will move my bike to the next station back so i have a 8km or so cycle each way. Is something like this a possibility for you?

[Imperini]

Cleaning stalls is totally a workout, I used to do 15 stalls every weekday morning and I was in great shape. That of course includes hauling it out and putting in fresh bedding.

The public transit thing won't work for me for various reasons but if it did it pretty much puts me at the doorstep of my office building so not much extra exercise there. I have coworkers who bike to work as they're a bit closer than I am but the prospect of riding a bike in downtown Toronto is downright terrifying to me.

The biggest thing for me is to stop night time snacking, but I find that it's easier to do that when I have some sort of exercise routine in place too. I used to do these rotating pilates/yoga/core/cardio videos that were about 20 mins long but I can't even remember where I found them now. I didn't enjoy them, but they were short enough it wasn't pure torture. They were on a website somewhere.. hmmm

[Ike]

I do crossfit and I love it. I thrive on a schedule and the classes are at certain times each day so I know I have to get there for a class time. Each class is 1 hour consisting of warm-ups, some kind of skill work, and then a workout of the day "WOD" at the end that can be anywhere from 6 to 30 minutes depending on the day. Each day is different and you really get a good bang for your buck. The workouts may seem intimidating, but if you go to a good gym with good coaches the movements are scalable so that anyone of any level can do it. It's awesome to workout with a group of positive, like minded people and reach personal achievements.

I also run, do triathlons, and rock climb, but crossfit is my daily stress relief and workout. And crossfit has made my running, triathlons, rock climbing, and riding so much better because I'm so much stronger.

[demi]

Y'all are a real inspiration! reading about your efforts encourages me to try harder. Thanks for the posts.

[StraightForward]

Kettlebells and running for me. When I have time I go to the gym and branch out into weight lifting and using the stationary rower. Running is great because it's simple and can be done pretty much anywhere. I travel a fair bit for work and have enjoyed seeing new places by heading out for a run (with my smartphone for navigation).

The kettlebell is also a great way to get a workout in a small space and a few minutes at home when there's not time for anything else. Sometimes I'll just go downstairs and do a hundred swings and 10 Turkish getups (ten minutes total), and that's enough to wake my muscles up and get my heart going a bit. I'm on the road this week and won't have daylight time to get out and run, but I stashed my 20# bell in my suitcase so I'll at least be able to get a little bit of exercise done even if the hotel gym stinks.

Sprinting is very effective in small doses for getting fitness gains. If you can do some sort of sprint work 1x per week, it will make a difference. I try to do this via intense 500m rows about once a week, though shorter sprints are effective too.

I've found Bosu Ball work to be very helpful for riding-specific fitness work. Air squats standing on the flat side with feet apart has really helped with my feeling in the stirrups. Single-legged deadlifts or simply standing on one leg when you're waiting in line or whatever, is also helpful.

[Rooney]

I am a barefoot trimmer for starters. I also have a personal trainer who handles my aged body (heading toward 62) and then to keep the fat down I am enrolled in a spin class. Other than that I lift a glass or so every night!

[angela9823]

I also do crossfit; it is the only exercising I've ever done that I've stuck with -three years this past September though I took off for a little over six months this year due to traveling and only just got back into four days a week. I have my own gym at home but I am also a member of a crossfit gym. We use a program called Wodify so I can record everything I do from home as well.

Like Ike, we do a skill and a WOD every day but we also do weightlifting three times a week for five week cycles. Then we start a new set of lifts for another five weeks. I LOVE the weightlifting part of crossfit. I've never liked cardio that much though it has greatly increased since doing crossfit. I couldn't run 200 meters when I started and can now do 5ks with some ease though I don't do them often. But my love is definitely the weight lifting - I love trying to lift heavy things and doing it slow. I like the variety that crossfit offers and the fact that everything can be modified so heavily that even my mother in law at 75 can participate - can't do a pushup? do a pushup against a wall. Can't do a pull up? do ring rows at slight angles etc. Love work with the kettlebells and jump ropes. I still don't care for pull ups - I can do them, just have a love/hate relationship with them. If there is something I just don't feel I do well and have no desire to do (snatches) I can modify with something else. And I love that it doesn't just single out one part of the body. It gets the entire body involved in the exercising.

[angela9823]

Oh yes, I do also trim about 30 horses a month but it is not on a regular type basis. I do some one weekend, some another etc. It isn't day in day out.

[Ganas]

Well, I hurt my knee/ITB pretty badly on a mountain run last year so I've been slowly getting back into it this year. Plus I had some sort of odd cardiac thing going on this spring which took forever to resolve. During that it would exhaust me just to ride.

But now I'm running again, only 17mpw, just working on the base mileage, I really should do a Jillian Shred workout and plan to at some point, but otherwise I did a bunch of hiking this summer as I'm trying to hike all 48 of the New Hampshire 4,000 footers. (Also the VT ones, but I like the White Mtns better, ha ha)

[Chisamba]

i stroll. I used to racewalk , about five miles and hour , and hike for pleasure, but severe arthritis in my knees and other joints has slowed that to a stroll. i have a treadmill in front of my tv upstairs, and so i stroll on the treadmill when the weather is harsh, but i really prefer to walk out, and explore nice areas. some times i take my young horse or retired horse for a walk.

i also do silly stuff, like always parking at a spot furthest from the store i am going to, leg lifts during the ads when i am watching tv, a habit that started when i was rehabbing after leg surgery and my phisio said to do them every time a mcdonald's add came on. it also may seem silly but i will do sits when driving. ie sit up, square without my back touching the back rest and engaging the core. and maintaining a riding posture instead of slouching against the back rest.

i may be fooling myself that the small stuff helps but its an easy habit to get into and cannot hurt

[chantal]

I bike 3-5 times a week for a hour to 2 hours each time, intensity varies. I teach cycling (road biking) 2x a week (that's 2 of those times). Intensity is better in the winter as we are on our own bikes on trainers inside and I get a better workout that way (16-19 miles for the hour depending on the workout), the workout varies when we ride outside depending on the class.

We also cross-train 1-2x per week but have been off for the past 5 weeks due to my concussion and travel and other stuff. Time to get back to it. And time to start riding my backup horse as my guy is still off.

[Rooney]

Ah, Angela, I probably trim close to 200 a month!!! I think you're gonna get my two in Rigdgeway. They will not go with my 4 weeks and I'm not in town at 6 weeks. Hope you can take them. They are easy!

[Ryans Friend]

Wow, some impressive fitness here!!

My 40 hour/week job really impinges on fitness time! I am lucky to have minimized my commute so I try to walk 1-2 miles in the morning before work and cycle 2-3 hours/week minimum, as well as equestrian stuff 4-6 days/week. Would love to do a more intense workout, i.e. 30-day shred but joints rebel at that these days. . Have managed to lose about 20 pounds by simply not eating everything I lay eyes upon. Daughter's wedding did not help in that regard!!

[demi]

Wow, some impressive fitness here!!

I agree!

I am embarrassed to even mention my fitness endeavors. I can't even play the old lady card since Rooney is only one year younger than me and her routine makes me tired just thinking about it.

I ride one horse 4 times a week and do all the farm chores mostly by myself. We have 30 acres and I get a lot of walking in a regular day. DH started with a personal trainer about three months ago and convinced me to join in. I love it!! The trainer is 74 and has a six pack! We go twice a week and I do my own routine once a week.

I have worked out on my own since my early 30's and started about the time Jane Fonda put out her workout videos. I also ran, and did an old fashioned Nordic trak. I really liked the Jane Fonda workouts and still do them (I'm that old), but working with a personal trainer has made all the difference in the world. He pushed us where as with the JF vids, after i reached a certain level of fitness, I never improved.

I have struggled with diet as I've gotten older. Just cant eat as much as i used to. It is a constant battle. Up and down. But I think the personal training is actually building muscle so maybe that will help. My weight hasn't gone down but my clothes are fitting better. I need to quit drinking those Corona Lights...

[pawsplus]

Gym 3x a week (generally the elliptical for 45 min, a little running, and then work on the various weight machines). Pilates (reformer) once a week. I ride 3-4 times a week. I trim 10-30 horses (feet) a week. I do farm work. And I eat a very low fat vegan, whole foods diet.

[Niki]

The last few weeks (tues-fri) i've been making myself get up at 5.30 to be out the door at 6am to go for a walk builing to jogging. Mondays i have to be at work at 6.30 so am up at 5.30 anyway to get there on time. Last week my OH went with me so most of it was walking (i'm fitter and he has bad knees). Though i did start jogging back and forth past him.

Anywho this week i've been going by myself as he's been worn out due to work and am almost able to jog the whole loop now (about 3.5kms) Yesterday though i wasn't able to go as we had to go to our new place before work. I really missed my morning session throughout the day and so today was the first time i've really bounced out of bed and guess who also decided to get up and go with me too so i was quite happy with that. We warmed up together then i jogged off and he walked

I really hope i can stay motivated and just keep this going now I've already had a few comments from various people asking if i'd lost more weight...i haven't but i have toned up a bit and i can already feel the benefits in the saddle

[PaulaEdwina]

Well I am now riding 5 days a week. I'm also a trail wogger (walk/jog in the woods with my dogs) and take barre and Pilates.

Paula

[angelanavejas]

Yoga three evenings a week. An imperial yoga hone, I as a rule sweat, have seen significant changes in my center quality in the course of the most recent couple of years. I have been going for around four years now.